Is your business protected against Ransomware?
With the explosion of the WannaCry ransomware virus this year many Australian business owners will be asking themselves “will it happen to my business?”
What is ransomware?
Ransomware attacks are devious in their simplicity. A user in the target business is tricked into opening a file, usually through a phishing email or download. The file contains malware which instantly encrypts your data and demands money in exchange for the password. As most businesses have their computers on a network all it takes is for one user to open or download the infected file and then works its way through the entire network in a worm like fashion.
Imagine your business having absolutely no access to its systems or data, what will the cost be to your finances and reputation?
What is WannaCry?
Wanna Decryptor, also known as WannaCry or wcry, is a specific ransomware program that locks all the data on a computer system and leaves the user with only two files: instructions on what to do next and the Wanna Decryptor program itself.
When the software is opened it tells computer users that their files have been encryted, and gives them a few days to pay the ransom, warning that their files will otherwise be deleted. In this case, WannaCry’s ransom is USD300, doubling to USD600 after 3 days and after a week users are threatened with the deletion of their files if the ransom goes unpaid.
WannaCry specifically targets Microsoft Windows operating systems.
What are Microsoft doing?
It is always important to ensure that your Windows software is up to date with the latest security patches and updates. As there are also operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2003 that are no longer supported by Microsoft, businesses with these systems are at risk of attack.
Microsoft first released a security update to address the vulnerability that these attacks are exploiting in March 2017. Those who have supported operating systems (Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016)** and have Windows Update enabled and up to date on their devices are protected against attacks on this vulnerability.
Our clients on Managed Services can rest assured that we proactively monitor such software patches and updates on their systems.
How can I protect my business?
This latest cyber-attack has again highlighted the importance of protecting your business and personal data.
There are many ways to defend yourself against an attack and being proactive is the first step, running the latest versions of software that is maintained and ensuring you have both good backups like our ShadowProtect and offsite Keyguard solution and firewalls with advanced protection such as WatchGuard with Threat Detection and Response that will mitigate against attacks like these and protect your business.
If you are worried about the security of your data or want to talk to us about how you can protect your network just give us a call on 1300 778 078